Fulton Gas Works, 3301 Williamsburg Avenue, Richmond — View of retort location, coal gas house platform, facing southwest
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Image Details
- Source:
- Library of Congress
- Collection:
- Historic American Buildings Survey
- Date:
- Documentation compiled after 1968
- Region:
- Richmond, Virginia
- Description:
- Photo(s): 24 | Data Page(s): 30 | Photo Caption Page(s): 2 Subjects: retorts, condensers, coal gasification, war (civil war), public utilities, engine houses, gasworks, pump houses, stepped parapets, offices, graffiti, coal, boiler houses, gas lighting Locations: independent city, virginia, richmond Notes: Significance: Although some of the earliest experiments with gas illumination took place in Richmond, Virginia in the early-nineteenth century, including the "new light" demonstration by Benjamin Henfry at Hay Market Garden near the Canal Turn Basin, as well as the subsequent construction of a temporary 40-foot tall gas lantern at the corner of 11th and Main Streets, it was not until the 1840s that the city embarked on utility-scale public gas production. In 1849, the first City Gas Works opened on Cary Street but quickly became obsolete as the popularity of gas lighting exploded within the first two years. In 1854, construction began on a new and larger municipal gas production site at Rocketts Landing which would become the Fulton Gas Works. From its opening in 1856 until it ceased production in 1972, the Fulton Gas Works provided the City of Richmond and its citizens with gas for lighting, heating, and cooking. During its nearly 120 years of operation, the Fulton Gas Works remained a modern and evolving production facility, transitioning from coal gas to water gas, and finally propane. As a result of these changes, the buildings, structures, and other facilities at the site were rebuilt, modified, and adapted on multiple occasions. Since production ceased, many of the buildings have fallen into disrepair and/or been demolished, however, the extant buildings at the site continue to represent an important aspect of the industrial and developmental heritage of Richmond. As such, the site has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places at the local level. Survey number: HAER VA-147 Building/structure dates: 1854-1855 Initial Construction Building/structure dates: 1907 Subsequent Work Building/structure dates: 1919-1924 Subsequent Work Building/structure dates: ca. 1937 Subsequent Work Building/structure dates: ca. 1950 Subsequent Work
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